Hello, old friend: Will the Start button return in Windows 8.1?

When it released Windows 8 last year, Microsoft made a dramatic shift in the way its flagship operating system worked. Gone was the familiar Start button, which first appeared in Windows 95. While the traditional desktop was still there, it was relegated to app status, with users booting up into a tile-based Start Screen.

Windows 8 was Microsoft’s shot at bridging the aging world of the personal computer with the shinier new one of tablets and smartphones. But users have been balking, and at least one major market research firm has determined that, rather than give new PC sales a boost, Windows 8 is actually hurting them.

One of my sources confirmed this is now looking like the plan and added that Microsoft is also considering bringing back the Start button as an option with Windows Blue.

Of course, Microsoft’s official line is that Windows 8 is an improvement over the interface that millions of Windows users have employed for the past 17 years. The Start Screen is really designed for use with touchscreen computers and is clumsy on traditional PCs, which make up the bulk of both the installed base and new systems shipped. Touchscreen machines are more expensive, further hurting Win8 adoption.

Forcing use of the Start Screen was a risk for Microsoft. The company obviously feels its new interface is visionary and a big step forward in interface design. But radical change is hard for most people, and so far, Windows users are voting on Microsoft’s design decisions by staying far, far away.

If Microsoft restores the Start button and boot-to-desktop as options for Windows Blue – which may be called Windows 8.1 – it will become a much more attractive operating system for consumers who want a more traditional experience. It will also appeal to corporations, who loathe the idea of training their employees on something radically different. Microsoft may have to swallow some pride, but it will gain in market share and revenue as a result.

Of course, restoring these features would only make them harder to kill off in the future. If Microsoft relents now, it will make it that much harder to lay them to rest in, say, Windows 9.

If Microsoft was to restore the Start menu and boot-to-desktop – and at this point, it’s only rumor and conjecture – would that make you more interested in Windows 8? Let us know by voting in the poll, and give us the details in the comments.

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